America
Sadhana's ‘WeAreOne’ rally draws elected officials and community leaders
On the evening of December 4th, on a frigid street corner in
Woodhaven,
The gathering was the WeAreOne Rally organized by Sadhana: Coalition of
Progressive Hindus in response to an anti-Hindu hate crime which took place
over Thanksgiving weekend in Woodhaven,
Over 40 jhandi flags were burned in the front yard of a
Hindu home. Jhandi flags are customarily raised at the culmination of
Indo-Caribbean Hindu prayer rituals and are representative of various Hindu
deities. These flags are an emblematic identifier of many Indo-Caribbean homes,
and this crime can be seen as an attack against not just Hindus, but
Indo-Caribbeans at large.
The rally was opened by Sadhana co-founder Aminta Kilawan who hails
from the Queens Indo-Caribbean community herself. Ms. Kilawan spoke of
the terrible losses suffered by those who are motivated by hatred in
A Hindu Priest, Pandit Manoj Jadubans of the Shaanti Bhavan Mandir sang the
shanti mantra (prayer for peace) Asato Sadgamaya.
Aminta opened with the poignant words, "We will NOT be shaken in our
resolve to stand united for peace and community harmony. "
These words of unity and indivisibility were echoed by all the speakers of the
evening. It was remarkable that so many elected officials braved the cold and
came out to Woodhaven tonight. And the powerful words of love and
solidarity from the various leaders from various faith traditions.
New York City Public Advocate Tish James expressed the need to speak out
against an act of hate against any community and emphasized the importance of
cultural and religious awareness. Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Nisha
Agarwal also denounced the hate crime and expressed her solidarity with the
Hindu Indo-Caribbean community.
Council Member Eric Ulrich stated that the burning of crosses was never
tolerated, thus the burning of jhandi flags also should not be tolerated. New
York State Senator James Sanders Jr. said, “An injury to one is an insult
to all of us. We are going to stand united.†Assembly Member Michael Miller
expressed his concerns that such a crime happened so close to home, and stood
in solidarity with the family. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez condemned the
crime and committed to doing whatever necessary to find the perpetrator.
The Narine family whose home was targeted shared a beautiful message (read by Sunita
Viswanath, a co-founder of Sadhana) expressing fear and bewilderment at the
attack, but also a desire to meet the perpetrator and try to understand his
motives, and explain about their culture and religion. "We want to
build dialogue and trust to help the racism disappear. We have it in our
hearts to forgive."
Several individuals were moved to commit pledges towards the reward for the
arrest, indictment, and conviction of the individual who burned the Jhandi
flags. Beginning with Martin Colberg of the Woodhaven Residents' Block
Association (WRBA), who pledged $500 on WRBA's behalf, several elected
officials, community based organizations, and a local Hindu temple decided to
pledge. Assembly Member Michael Miller, Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and
City Council Member Eric Ulrich each pledged $500 each. Dr. Dhanpaul Narine
pledged $500 on behalf of the Shri Trimurti Bhavan in
The rally brought together a diverse group in solidarity with the Hindu community, but Aminta pledged that Sadhana would mobilize Hindus to stand with other communities whenever they are targeted because at the heart of Hinduism is the teaching, Vasudaiva Kutumbakam, WE ARE ONE.
List of Speakers
Aminta Kilawan, Co-Founder, Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
Pandit Manoj Jadubans, Spiritual Leader, Shaanti Bhavan Mandir
Statement from Narine Family (family whose home was targeted) - Read by Sunita Viswanath, Co-Founder, Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus
MOIA Commissioner Nisha Agarwal
Public Advocate Letitia James
Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez
State Senator James Sanders Jr.
Community Affairs Officer Jose Severino
Rev. Chloe Breyer, Executive Director of Interfaith
Naheed Bahram,
Imam Safraz, Masjid al Abidin
Rev. Alfonso Wyatt
Simone Jhingoor, Co-Founder of Jahajee Sisters
